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Economic prosperity and cost of living are focus for North East LEP’s Our Economy event

Expert speakers from The Institute of Directors, CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and the Resolution Foundation will join the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) on Tuesday 15 November to discuss economic prosperity in the region and the cost of living crisis as part of the North East LEP’s annual Our Economy event.

Looking at the current performance of the North East economy and how it’s developing over time, and key national and international issues impacting the region; Our Economy has been expanded in 2022 and returns to an in-person format at Crowne Plaza Newcastle. 

This year’s event will focus on how the economic gains in the North East from 2014-2020 have been impacted by recent economic shocks, and the prospects for prosperity for the region’s business and residents.

Kitty Ussher, Chief Economist at The Institute of Directors; Mohammed Jamei, Director of Economic Projects at the CBI; and Mike Brewer, Deputy Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation; will join Richard Baker, Strategy and Policy Director at the North East LEP, to discuss living standards in the region and the trends for incomes, wealth and poverty for residents; and how the environment for business is changing and what the prospects are for investment, business growth and employment.

Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the North East LEP, will open the event and host the panel discussion.

Lucy said: “Each year the North East LEP uses data gathered from the North East Evidence Hub to present the current economic outlook in the region.

“By gathering and using data, evidence and knowledge in this way, we’re able to inform strategic economic planning and work with political and business leaders to inform decision making. 

“This kind of evidence-based approach is essential; particularly in such turbulent economic times.” 

Our Economy 2022 will explore what the future holds in the economic and financial environment, and what this means for prosperity in the North East. It will also consider what can be learnt from responses to previous economic shocks as residents, businesses and institutions navigate their way through the current cost of living crisis.

A series of in depth, expert panel discussions will take place following the main Our Economy event to explore some of the themes and issues raised. Topics include evidence and data; business – discussing what the evidence means in practice; people – the implications of the cost of living on people and communities; and emerging markets.

Richard Baker, Strategy and Policy Director at the North East LEP: “We’ll be asking leading economists from the CBI and the Resolution Foundation for their insight on living standards and the costs and wider environment for doing business. 

“Understandably there are real concerns about net incomes and current living standards for residents as well as significant challenges for business resilience. 

“Our Economy 2022 is an opportunity to debate what we can do in the region to help drive forward at this time of uncertainty.” 

All the evidence and data presented as part of Our Economy 2022 will be available on the North East Evidence Hub.  Our Economy 2022 takes place on Tuesday 15 November from 9am at Crowne Plaza Newcastle.

Tickets are free and can be booked by visiting the eventbrite page.

For more information about the North East Evidence Hub, visit evidencehub.northeastlep.co.uk.

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New reports on North East economy reveal impact of COVID-19 and EU Exit

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership has published two new reports, one, an annual state of the region report and the other exploring the impact of COVID-19 and EU Exit on the North East economy.

The LEP’s annual Our Economy report has been published in two parts in 2021. The first report tracks the long term performance of the North East LEP economy across a range of key economic indicators and provides an overview of how it is changing over time.

It also includes an update on progress towards the North East LEP’s aim of bringing 100,000 more and better jobs to the region by 2024, and analysis of the impact of emerging policy priorities, like levelling up and decarbonisation, on the North East.

The second report provides a comprehensive and in-depth look at the national and regional data, research, insights and commentary that shows how COVID-19 and EU exit has impacted the regional economy. Drawing on a range of additional and innovative sources of data, ‘Our Economy: Insights into the impact of COVID-19 and EU transition on the North East Economy’ gathers intelligence on the impacts of the pandemic and EU exit on the North East economy from March 2020 to the current day.

Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the North East LEP, said: “This year, perhaps more than any other, developing our shared understanding of change in the regional economy is crucial.

“The work we have done to track, analyse and interpret data and evidence about the performance of our regional economy is central to our role at the North East LEP and a core part of the support we offer our partners.

“It is integral to our economic leadership, our influencing work with government, and underpins our investment decisions and stewardship of public funds, ensuring that regional programmes of delivery are targeted at addressing the key opportunities and challenges we face.”

The reports state that whilst the short-term impact of COVID-19 on the North East was highly disruptive and challenging, the region has continued to sustain increased levels of employment compared with its baseline in 2014, with continued growth of the proportion of better jobs – managers, directors and senior officials; professional occupations; and associate professional and technical occupations – in the region.

They also show the impact of COVID-19 on business and the labour market has been significant. Some sectors, including retail, culture and hospitality, have seen severe changes. Local, regional and national intervention has had an impact in protecting businesses and jobs, but the impact now many of these support measures have ended is unclear.

Inequalities within the region have been exacerbated by the pandemic too, with employers in many industries struggling with skills shortages.

The reports also include data showing that the region’s engagement with the global economy is changing, with the impact of EU Exit creating barriers to trade and the future trading environment still evolving.

Our Economy 2021 also looks at the performance of our programmes and sectors – which have been identified as areas of opportunity for the region, including health and life sciences, digital and energy.

Richard Baker, Strategy and Policy Director at the North East LEP explained: “The economic shock has accelerated a number of opportunities for the North East, with growth and new jobs in some of the key areas of strength and opportunity we have been focused on – in energy, life sciences and digital industries for example.

“Many firms across the economy have changed their operational models, with rapid deployment of digital technology, changing approaches to delivery of goods and services locally and growth in online exporting. There are genuine opportunities for the region to drive forward greener businesses and to drive productivity.”

The evidence provided by Our Economy is used to inform the work of the North East LEP and partners across the region in delivering the North East Strategic Economic Plan – the roadmap for increasing economic growth in the North East.

Our Economy 2021 is available to view on evidencehub.northeastlep.co.uk.

Our Economy: Insights into the impact of COVID-19 and EU transition on the North East Economy is also available to view on evidencehub.northeastlep.co.uk.

The North East Strategic Economic Plan can be read at northeastlep.co.uk.

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Annual ‘Our Economy’ event to review region’s economic performance through COVID and EU Exit

An overview of how the North East economy has fared throughout EU Exit and the COVID-19 pandemic will be presented at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s annual Our Economy event.

Online event, Thursday 7 October 2021, 9.30am – 11am

An overview of how the North East economy has fared throughout EU Exit and the COVID-19 pandemic will be presented at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s (North East LEP’s) annual Our Economy event.

Taking place online on Thursday 7 October 2021, the event will include a discussion of the challenges businesses have faced and the support needed; the impact of changes such as increased home working and shifting patterns of commuting and shopping; and economic evidence showing where the North East economy has been resilient.

Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the North East LEP, said: “Everything we do at the North East LEP is informed by data, and each year we publish Our Economy, which brings together  evidence that allows us to review the region’s economic performance over the past year and track changes over the longer term.

“This year, of course, the data will show what the effects of Great Britain’s exit from the EU, and the COVID-19 pandemic, have been on the North East.”

The event will include a panel discussion about the challenges, opportunities and changes presented by the pandemic and EU Exit, with keynote speakers including Nima Beni, Director, Prima Cheese; Roger Kilbourn, Managing Director at drug development and manufacturing accelerator, Quotient Sciences; and Linda Currie, Chief People Officer at Purmo Group, a global presence in the equipment, systems and technology that create indoor climates.

“Through sharing the information in Our Economy with the North East business community, we can work together to position our region strongly for recovery and growth,” added Lucy Winskell.

The evidence provided by Our Economy is used to inform the work of the North East LEP and partners across the region in delivering the North East Strategic Economic Plan – the roadmap for increasing economic growth in the North East.  

The event on 7 October will also include an update on progress towards achieving the aim set out in the region’s Strategic Economic Plan, of adding 100,000 more and better jobs to the North East economy by 2024.

Book a free ticket for the event here. 

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Our Economy 2020 paints a mixed picture of the North East economy’s performance  

Today, the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has published the latest edition of Our Economy, an annual publication which examines the performance of the North East economy and how it is changing over time.

This year’s report has also looked in more depth at how the economy varies across different geographic areas within the region.

Victoria Sutherland, Senior Economist at the North East LEP, explains: “This year, Our Economy is being published at a time of immense change and it provides a baseline showing the performance of the North East economy before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year’s report provides data and evidence that we and our partners can use to position the North East for recovery, as we work to bring more and better jobs to our region.”

Each year, Our Economy reviews the North East’s performance across a range of indicators. This is the third year that Our Economy has been published and this year’s report paints a mixed picture of the region’s economic performance.

Our Economy shows that the gap between the North East and the rest of England, excluding London, has widened on a number of indicators, including the value of the goods and services produced per head, employment rate and productivity rate.

In contrast, areas of progress include increasing expenditure on R&D by businesses, increasing proportion of our population qualified to degree-level and above, increased employment in science, research, engineering and technology roles, improved access to superfast broadband and 4G, and increased public expenditure on transport.

The evidence provided by Our Economy is used to inform the work of the North East LEP and partners across the region in delivering the North East Strategic Economic Plan – the roadmap for increasing economic growth in the North East.

Victoria Sutherland added: “What we can see in the report suggests that, even before COVID-19 began to impact the North East, there was a need to do more to grow and develop our economy. 

“Going forward, the focus of our efforts must be to ensure that every part of our region is able to contribute to and benefit from efforts to improve the performance of our economy.”

Our Economy is available to download on the North East Data Hub website and a short video summarising the findings can be viewed here.

ENDS

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Looking to the future of the North East economy

We all know about the North East’s magnificent heritage, and the engineering feats that once made the region a global industrial power.

But our plan for the region’s future doesn’t rely on the past. Instead, it talks about the strengths we have today, and the innovations which will enable our economy to thrive now and in the future.

Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today: that’s the thinking behind the North East Strategic Economic Plan – the blueprint for creating 100,000 more and better jobs in our region by 2024.

The Plan draws on the strength of our digital and energy sectors, and the work that’s making the North East stand out in health and life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. These are the areas which will drive the North East economy forwards.

Read the North East Strategic Economic Plan.

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North East LEP publishes second, annual Our Economy report

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) publishes its second annual Our Economy report today (Friday 10 May) at an event at Crowne Plaza Newcastle.

Providing an update on the current performance of the North East economy and how it is changing over time, Our Economy 2019 also looks at what makes the North East a competitive place for businesses and residents.

Victoria Sutherland, Senior Economist at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Our Economy 2019 uses a range of indicators to give us a clearer picture of how our region is performing.

“We’ve been able to look at important factors like how many businesses there are in the North East and whether they are growing, innovating and exporting. We’ve also looked at how many jobs there are in the North East, how many of our residents are in work and the levels of investment into the region.

“By understanding what the statistics tell us about our economy, we can focus our efforts on the most important issues and identify the activities that will help achieve the ambition set out in the Strategic Economic Plan to create 100,000 more and better jobs.”

Each year, the Our Economy report takes a more detailed look at a particular topic. This year it focuses on what makes the North East a competitive place. Being competitive is about providing the right environment for the region’s existing and potential businesses to invest and grow and somewhere individuals can realise their ambitions, building and nurturing confidence.

The evidence in Our Economy shows that innovation, business structure and technological readiness, and efforts to build the skills and capabilities of residents are all key factors underpinning the North East’s competitiveness. It also highlights the assets in the region that contribute to a high quality of life.

The event in Newcastle features keynote speakers including Richie Ramsden, Head of Data Science – Innovation Incubator at AkzoNobel, who considers the North East to be the best place in the UK to undertake data science. Professor Jane Robinson, Dean of Engagement and Place at Newcastle University will speak on how the North East’s universities contribute to the region’s success.

Andrew Hodgson, Chair of the North East LEP said: “Given the political and economic uncertainty we’ve experienced in the last few months, it’s more important than ever we continue to review the performance of the North East economy.

“The data in Our Economy 2019 shows we can have confidence in our approach, but it also identifies the areas, as a region, we need to address, for example, low levels of innovation. This kind of detailed analysis is vital as we continue to develop the North East Local Industrial Strategy in partnership with government.

“Our Economy continues to be an important resource for the region and I’d like to thank everyone that contributed to this year’s report.”

To read the North East LEP’s Our Economy report in full, click here. It provides detail on progress against the North East Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) targets, including the region’s ambition to create 100,000 more and better jobs by 2024. To read the Strategic Economic Plan, click here.